Bluechart v C-Map

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I'm thinking about a new plotter to replace my stone age Navcentre. First thoughts are to buy a plotter using C-Map charts as I can change all my old CF cartidges to NT cartidges for about £40 a throw but then I took a look at Bluechart
It seems that just 2 Bluechart cartidges will cover the whole of the English Channel on UK and French sides whereas I need at least 8 'Standard' C-Map cartidges to cover the same area
Questions to the Panel

1. How much are Bluechart cartridges 'coz nobody seems to know?
2. Do Bluechart cartidges give the same level of detail as 'Standard' C-Map cartidges?
3. Anybody got any experience of Garmin colour plotters with Bluechart?

 

[jfm]

C-Map+, not C-Map

The comparison is bluechart versus CMap+, not CMap. Bluechart and CMap+ are very similar.

Bluechart is Garmin's first (and very late) effort at vector charts, and they're very good and have fine resolution. CMap have been doing vector charts for years, and the CMap+ is the new fine resolution format.

You certainly do not need 8 CMaps for the English channel, you can see the coverage maps on www.c-map.no


Sorry do not know prices. mesltd.co.uk will know, they also have a link to the cmap website on their homepage

I have not used CMap+ yet, will be doing the weekend after next on a boat with a big colour plotter, can let you know after then

 

[Guest]

Can't help on the price front, but speak to Garmin on 01794 519944 on this one.

What I do know is that the Bluecharts are based on the Transas TX97 chart folio so you will have access to the biggest vectorised chart database in the world, containing all the data you would get on the equivalent paper charts.

Nick

Nick

 

[kimhollamby]

Some of this info published in MBM Jan 02...'Regular' cartridges (the majority of the available ones) are £205.63 inc VAT. 'Small' cartridges (there are not many of these at the moment but they cover greater detail) cost £146.88 inc VAT.

Bluechart based on the Russian Transas vector charts...great on detail in areas where commercial ships venture; weaker in leisure areas where not much else happening. We looked at Solent charts and they were fine, really easy to inteprete, although you'll see 'seams' between the charts.

2006C plotter displays them really well and enjoyable to play with. Got our top rating, probably because of the submitted units it seemed a generation ahead. Test in MBM Feb 02.

As mentioned elsewhere though, C-Map biting back with NT+, which has softer colour palette (much easier on the eye) amongst other changes. Also new back-end operating system for plotters. It's out now but it will take time to roll-out; upgrades may be possible on some NT plotters.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[jfm]

Backward compatibility of C-Map

AFAIK the CMap cartridges will work on most existing colour plotters already designed for regular CMap NT cartridges. On some older plotters, they will only work if you upgrade the plotter's software.

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: Backward compatibility of C-Map

oops, thanks. Yes, sorry I didn't explain that well...was thinking about the possibility of upgrading the operating system (which, if possible, would be a good move on many C-Map colour plotters as the manufacturer implementation not always the best).

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[DavidJ]

Note for interest
I have ordered some C-Map NT cards and have been informed of a delay due to a software bug.
David

 

[ChrisP]

Chart Plotters. Huh

Nasty little gizmo's that you can't see in the sun with charts that you need a PHD to access and use whilst whilst trying to explain to SWIMBO that we really do want to be over there.

Use a Yeoman plotter with GPS. Charts that you can read and draw on, and for a fraction of the cost of any of the electronic chart formats.

IMHO just sometimes, the electronic version of tried and tested proceedures (chartwork) is not the best way to go. Maybe if a few more people went to school and learnt the chartie bit they would trip over the other bits of seamanship. Like rules of the road etc.

Thanks to chart plotters, autopilots and the like we are becoming inundated with the plug in and go Sunday afternoon nautical motorists. who without a clue, wander around the coast looking for a place to stop for a cup of tea and to exercise the animals. And just before you sailing types drop into a bout of self gratification and sage like head bobbing. Your lot would be equated to the lycra clad, helmetted cyclist weaving around in the traffic.

There that gets that out of the way.

Now to prepair for the event of the year. My first born gets to buy her dad a drink today. Legally.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Hey Chris, did you gey out of bed on the wrong side today? You should be pleased that you are no longer legally or financiallly responsible for no1 offspring, surely a day to celebrate. What present have you got her?

How's Mrs p getting on with her electric shock treatment? Has it necessitated many unscheduled shopping trips? What's the I in SWIMBO?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: C-Map+, not C-Map

Sorry, I didnt explain myself well enough.. If you want C-Map cartidges which cover the E. Channel giving sufficient detail for every harbour, then IMHO you need at least 8 cartidges because the large area cartridges dont give the detail. For example the C-Map cartidge 'Central English Channel' doesnt give enough detail to be much use for the Channel Islands, you need the Cherbourg to Cap Frehel cartidge as well.
The question is do the 2 Bluechart ones currently available for the E Channel give enough harbour detail to be any use?
For me, the price of cartidges is a major factor in choosing a plotter. If I can cover my cruising area with 2 cartidges rather than 8, plus the fact that Garmin stuff seems to be generally cheaper than, say, Raymarine, it puts Garmin in the frame for me

 

[tcm]

Re: Garmin useability

Unsure of the chart issues. But I wd say that the Garmin "user interface" is a lot more easy to use than many others. In a quick magazone test, this doesn't always come over. For example, Garmins "page" function means that you press the same button to cycle between the different screen of info. Some others have different buttons for different pages, not so straightforward, can't be done without looking carefully at the screen to see which button does what.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

My 7yr old can find his way round a plotter just like he finds his way around a Playstation so maybe you should try harder. I dont think a plotter is a substitute for paper charts either. In fact I do all my passage planning on a paper chart first and then transfer the waypoints to a plotter and check courses/distances match. During the passage, the plotter is an additional and valuable check on what you can see with your own eyes

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Thanks for that, Kim(nm)

*

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

SWIMBO

She With Impressively Microscopic Bikini ON ?..... or should that be Off?

Wally

 

[burgundyben]

Hear Hear

Well said that man, Chart plotters are just another device for lazy blighters that cant be bothered to learn how to do it properly, plus chart correction give you something to do on long winter evenings and teach you loads.

I recently was watch leader on a yacht delivery from Solent to La Coruna, we used some chart plotting software on a laptop, I found it was hard to gain an overall picture of position and still be able to see all the info we needed.

Well that should cause a stir.



burgundyben, coolest of men, by all I'm called, cool burgundyben.

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: Garmin useability

Agreed with this comment. Perhaps we don't always communicate it well enough in magazines but when you have 12 plotters on a bench it rapidly becomes apparent which ones are intuitive. On about day three of the MBM Feb issue test we had lapsed into leaving the two Garmin plotters till last, purely on the basis that the brain was so faded with umpteen ways of doing things that it helped to have some really user friendly models to close out with.

Genuinely think that Garmin have laid a new marker down (also scooped top honours in MBY and PBO recently and there was no collaboration between the three tests) which is no bad thing as some of the earlier plotters are slow, short on features and long on need to refer to manual for some tasks. That said, they don't have the benefit of close and easy integration with other instruments (a la Raymarine and Simrad) or perhaps the strongest cartography portfolio. It should be an interesting 12-18 months if, unlike some of the others up this thread, you like this kind of thing!

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: Garmin useability

Quite impressed by Garmin, their prices and how their PR bloke keeps writing in to the mags saying how wonderful they were to repair his GPS free of charge even though the dog pissed on it and his wife put it in the dishwasher

 

[KevB]

Of course a GPS plotter is a replacement for the OLD paper charts. Taking that attitude against technology we'd all still be using an abacus and wouldn't be here on the www.

How often do you fix your boats position using paper charts?

Do you rely on your depth sounder or do you keep throwing a rope with a weight over the side?

Do you have a long rope with knots in it which you use to determine your speed or do you use the technology fitted to your boat?

Paper charts are useful for seeing the overall picture because they are at least A2 where as your average plotters is lucky to be A5. But once the course has been plotted the paper charts are confined to the cupboard and only used for occasional reference.

All IMHO of course.

 

[byron]

Re: Hear Hear

Although I love things that wink, blink and go bleep, I agree with you Ben. Until such time one has a screen the same size as at least a half size Chart, a Plotter doesn't replace a paper chart. Similarly one can't update a Plotter daily, weekly or during the winter months oneself.

ô¿ô

 

[tcm]

Re: other reasons for Garmin useability

One reason is of course once you know how to use one of them, you can guesss how to use all of them. Haven't seen the latest, but was impressed that any user of fixed garmin cd also use the portable 175 straightaway.